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CPT 00322: Anesthesia for Esophagus, Thyroid, Larynx, Trachea and Neck Procedures
CPT code 00322 denotes anesthesia services for procedures on the esophagus, thyroid, larynx, trachea and lymphatic system of the neck, including needle biopsy of the thyroid. It is a procedure-specific anesthesia code used when airway and neck structures are the focus of surgical or diagnostic intervention, and it captures the complexity and airway management considerations inherent in these cases. Nationally, accurate use of this code supports clinical documentation, anesthesia resource tracking, and consistent billing for procedures involving critical neck and airway anatomy.
Key payers in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the code’s clinical scope, typical sites of service, common billing modifiers and associated taxonomies (for reference), and a comparison to closely related anesthesia codes. The publication outlines typical diagnosis contexts in which 00322 is reported, highlights related CPT anesthesia codes for neck procedures, and summarizes common modifier usage and payer considerations. This material is intended to help billing, anesthesia, and revenue cycle professionals understand clinical context, coding alignment, and payer relevance for CPT code 00322 on a national level.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 00322 describes anesthesia services provided for procedures involving the esophagus, thyroid, larynx, trachea, and lymphatic structures of the neck, including needle biopsy of the thyroid. This service reflects administration and management of anesthesia during surgical or diagnostic procedures in the neck and upper airway regions.
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Service type: Anesthesia for procedures on the esophagus, thyroid, larynx, trachea, and neck lymphatic system
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Typical site of service: Operating room or procedure suite where airway, thyroid, or neck procedures are performed (including settings for needle biopsy of the thyroid)
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National commercial reimbursement for CPT 00322 clusters around BUCA’s average commercial rate of $80.9, with notable variation by payer. Blue Cross Blue Shield shows a wide upper tail with a $P90 of $141.7 and a median of $72.4, while Cigna’s mean of $105 and median of $90.8 sit above BUCA. Aetna and UnitedHealth Group have lower medians at $48 and $65 respectively, and Aetna’s max rate reaches $175.3 while UnitedHealth Group’s max is $122.7.
Dispersion measured by the interquartile spread (P75–P25) is widest for Cigna at $61.0 ($139.0–$73.1) and Blue Cross Blue Shield at $46.3 ($104.2–$57.9). The tightest spread is UnitedHealth Group at $26.8 ($81.3–$52.5), followed closely by BUCA’s interquartile range of $46.1 ($103.9–$56.9). These spreads indicate materially different variability profiles across commercial payers for this code.